Abstract

Research reflects a relationship between bullying victimization and risk-taking behaviors. Specifically, individuals who have experienced bullying victimization have also been found to engage in higher rates of risk-taking behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship, and to propose a potential moderator, self-compassion. It was hypothesized that individuals who had experienced bullying victimization, in middle or high school, would report higher frequencies of risk-taking behavior in young adulthood. However, those who had been victimized but who had higher ratings of self-compassion would report fewer risk-taking behaviors than those who had experienced the victimization and reported lower ratings of self-compassion. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between earlier experiences of bullying and risk-taking behaviors during the college age. Regression analyses indicated that experiences of bullying significantly predicted sexual risk-taking. Self-compassion was not found to moderate this relationship between experiences of bullying and risky sexual behaviors.
Keywords: Bullying, Risk-Taking Behaviors, Self-Compassion, College Population